They want only the best possible care for their own pets and hate the thought of those domestic animals being put down because they don’t have a family to love them.

Furry Friends Adoption & Clinic, formerly Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary & Hospital, is very much alive and doing well by helping to fill that monumental need in our community.

Founded in 1985 and dedicated to being one of the only no-kill shelters in South Florida, the beautiful shelter, now located at 401 Maplewood Drive in Jupiter, reserves space and care for animals that have been abused, neglected, inured and abandoned.

DOLLARS FOR CARE

“Every dollar spent for your furry companion is a dollar spent to take care of many abused and neglected pets at our facility,” said Patricia Deshong, the new executive director who has taken the important reins on the operation.

A former Board of Directors chairman, she’s had the position since the first week in April and doing a smashing good job at bringing all three phases of the organization into good working order.

“May I say first, that at Furry Friends we value every single life that comes through our doors and we do our very best to keep families together.”

There are three distinct parts to Furry Friends, explained Deshong, chatting in her in her compact office at the Furry Friends Hospital, open six days a week and located next door to the adoption facility.

Why did she undertake such a daunting task as running Furry Friends?

“Truthfully, it is all about the animals in our care,” Deshong stated.

“Their eyes voice the words that they can’t express. Many years ago, I was in real estate where the motto was ‘there is a home for every buyer.’ I truly do believe there is a forever home for every dog or cat. It is just a matter of finding the right home, which is why I work hard to find the right dog suitable for service training (a new project begun by Deshong with The Renewal Coalition, a local Wounded Warriors organization) or the right dog or cat as a house cat for seniors needing companionship. The health benefits have been proven.

“Let’s all work a little harden to just make it happen already!”

STRICTLY NONPROFIT

The strictly nonprofit facility consists of the hospital, the adoption center and the thrift shop, all important parts of the whole. “My first goal is to make these three parts work more closely together, communicating on a daily basis. We had a big family-style picnic to get all the staff and volunteers together. It was so much fun and all paid for by the Board of Directors not the center’s money.

Officially named The Humane Society of Greater Jupiter/Tequesta, DBA as Furry Friends Adoption and Clinic, “is blessed to have such a successful Furry Friends Thrift Shop,” according to Deshong. “It is a 5,000 square foot store open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 615 West Indiantown Road that helps greatly to fund us with the sales of donated items. The thrift store takes care of itself,” she added.

A sanctuary ranch in Palm City is also under the care of Furry Friends. It is a home to abused and abandoned farm animals, horses, goats, pigs and those pets that are not adoptable. It gives them a permanent place to live out their lives with loving care.

“No animals are turned away for the lack of the owner’s ability to pay, Deshong said, and other than a $10,000 donation the Town of Jupiter gave us earlier this year, the facility does not receive any state or government assistance, which is why we are appealing to residents of the community for financial support.”

NEW YORK TO JUPITER

Raised in New York City, Pat Deshong, came to this area from Upstate New York in 1999, and lives in East Point with husband of 22 years, Robert, senior director of investments with Oppenheimer & Co. The pair has no children but adore their two dogs, a rescued toy poodle named Goldie and a Bichon called Oscar.

“I came here after running my own public relations firm for many years,” she said. Running a company makes me keenly aware of business management as well as what the general public wants, needs and expects. In addition to being on the Furry Friends board, I’m proud of being elected president of the Board of Admiral’s Cove, and I am the only woman ever elected to that position.”

The Furry Friends Adoption Center is a wonderful place to visit. It’s where adoptable babies and grown-up animals are desperately seeking forever homes and they let you know it when you visit them.

Adopting pets is easy to do and not expensive here. Dogs are $90, puppies are $125, cats - $50 and kittens are $75. All the dogs and cats are vaccinated, licensed, spayed/neutered and micro-chipped prior to being taken home.

A new venture for Furry Friends, created by Deshong, is taking part in a project that means working with Mary Hinton and the Renewal Coalition for wounded veterans. Through that group and Canines Assisting Military Operators, they are partnering in training some special dogs to become service dogs for veterans.

“It is so important since there is a long waiting list for vets needing these dogs,” she said.

“Some dogs that come through here and have been abused or abandoned just stick out and have something special to offer,” she said. Like Max, a German shepherd and a wonderful pit bull named Phoenix that some monster tied to a gate and doused with gasoline. He was literally saved by the efforts and donated services of local veterinarian Dr. Federico Lattimer and now is well enough to help a surviving veteran. Both dogs will soon be placed with a companion for life.”

Furry Friends will be holding a few important fundraisers in the near future.

“We recently had a successful event hosted by Braman Motorcars of Jupiter and will have a great event coming up Oct 17. It will be a classy dinner dance at the Abacoa Country Club and we hope lots of supporters will help us out by taking part,” Deshong said. It is so important that we take care of the many, many lovable and needy animals in our area.”

“I believe in a complete open-door policy here. We are located in the shopping area behind Home Depot on Maplewood Drive. I invite anyone to come in and see the hospital, meet the caring dedicated doctors and staff, and visit our pets,” Deshong said.

“It is a moving experience that will tug at the heartstrings of everyone who comes in.”